Web Producer Launches Service for Online Retail Stores
ApparelLink,a Web site producer in Tujunga, Calif., is adding online boutiques to its list of services.
The company, which produces do-it-yourself online showrooms for the apparel and textile industries, is adding the retail service to allow single- and multiple-line resources to clear out excess inventory and reach a broader consumer base online.
ApparelLink has been working with Fashion Business Inc. (FBI), a Los Angeles nonprofit organization, to help local designers bring their collections to the Internet through virtual showrooms. Some of these clients have been looking for outlets to sell excess inventory to jobbers, who can sell the merchandise to discount retailers. ApparelLink’s software developers crafted online stores that can operate as free-standing retail sites or as links from existing sites.
Company President Arnie Wachman said ApparelLink is using its front-end expertise to build eye-catching Web sites that clients can maintain themselves. They can also link their e-commerce transactions to back-end resources such as PayPal to collect payments. “The retailer doesn’t even get any of the credit card or payment information. It’s all off site,” Wachman said.
He said the online retail sites are not intended to compete with clients’ bricks-andmortar stores but act more as a clearinghouse and a way to build brand recognition. “We resisted it for a while, but we saw some of the inferior sites that were being done with other sources and decided to answer the demand,” he noted.
Costs vary depending on the type of store a client wants, Wachman said. Clients do not need any programming skills and do not have to pay Webmaster maintenance fees, set-up charges or development costs. All sites are linked to ApparelLink’s index, which is accessible through all major Web search engines.
For more information, visit www.apparellink.com. —Robert McAllister
